>>> JOINING US NOW, CNN'S POLITICAL ANALYST NIA MALIKA
HENDERSON AND JONATHAN MARTIN. I WANT TO START WITH THE HOT MIC
MOMENT WE HEARD WITH CHUCK SCHUMER TALKING TO PRESIDENT
BIDEN. LET'S LISTEN.
>> OH, MAN, THE HOT MIC MOMENT. >> THEY NEVER LEARN.
>> THEY NEVER LEARN. THAT ASIDE, THIS IS A MOMENT
HERE. >> THIS IS HONEST, YOU GET
DEMOCRATS HOPEFUL ON CAMERA ABOUT THE RACES.
REALLY INTERESTING BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK OF HOW THEY FEEL
ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR RACE, PARTICULARLY GEORGIA, THE IDEA
IT HAS TIGHTENED. I THINK DEMOCRATS WERE HOPEFUL
THE REVELATIONS AND ALLEGATIONS ABOUT HERSCHEL WALKER WOULD
EXPAND WHAT LOOK DS TO BE A RAPHAEL WARNOCK LEAD IN SOME OF
THE POLLS AND NOW IT'S TIGHTENING.
YOU CAN TELL THE WAY THAT WARNOCK HIMSELF IS CAMPAIGNING
THAT IT'S A TIGHTER RACE. HERSCHEL WALKER DID BETTER IN
THE DEBATES THAN PEOPLE THOUGHT HE WOULD, SO TO GET THAT
UNVARNISHED LOOK. LOOK, THE RACES ARE TIGHTENING
AS THEY DO DOWN THE STRETCH. >> WITH YOU HEARD HIM SAY ABOUT
THE FETTERMAN PERFORMANCE AGAINST OZ DIDN'T HURT US.
>> I THINK IT'S WISHFUL THINKING.
CHUCK HAS NO SCIENTIFIC N KNOWLEDGE OF WHAT THE IMPACT OF
THE DEBATE WAS A DAY LATER ON A TARMAC IN NEW YORK.
HE'S TRYING TO BUCK UP THE PRESIDENT.
AT THE SAME TIME HIS TALK ABOUT GEORGIA IS TRYING TO GET BIDEN'S
HELP TO RAISE MONEY FURTHER IN GEORGIA AS WELL.
LOOK AT THE MAP YOU SHOWED ON THE SCREEN THERE.
WHAT'S REMARKABLE IS TWO THINGS. FIRST OF ALL, THEBIDEN IN
PENNSYLVANIA CAN'T BE TALKED ABOUT ENOUGH.
IT'S AN IMPORTANT STATE, BUT BIDEN IS THERE SO MUCH IN PART
BECAUSE IT'S A CLOSE TRIP TO WASHINGTON AND IN PART BECAUSE
HE CAN'T GO A LOT OF OTHER PLACES BECAUSE THEY DON'T WANT
HIM THERE. THAT MAP HAS OBAMA GOING TO
GEORGIA AND NEBRVADA IN THE FIN DAYS OF THE ELECTION, NOT THE
CURRENT PRESIDENT. BECAUSE BIDEN IS NOT WANTED BY
THE CURRENT DEMOCRATS ON THE BALLOT AND OBAMA CAN COME AND
GET VOTERS STIRRED UP. A FORMER WELPRESIDENT MORE WELC
AND MORE OF A DRAW THAN THE CURRENT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES. >> AND GOING TO FLORIDA SUGGESTS
THEY DON'T HAVE ANY CHANCE IN FLORIDA AT ALL IN THOSE RACES,
THE SENATE RACE AND THE GOVERNOR RACE.
>> NEW MEXICO IS AN IMPORTANT GOVERNOR'S RACE BUT NO SENATE
RACE IN NEW MEXICO THIS YEAR. BIDEN IS GOING THERE BECAUSE
IT'S WHERE HE CAN'T GO. >> DO YOU AGREE WITH HIS
ASSESSMENT OF GEORGIA? >> LISTEN, ALL THESE RACES ARE
GOING TO TIGHTEN. I THINK 90 TO 95% OF VOTERS HAVE
LIKELY MADE UP THEIR MIND AND IN THE CLOSING WEEKS YOU SEE SOME
OF THE POLLS TIGHTEN BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO MAKE UP
THEIR MINDS. SURE, IF YOU PRIVATELY TALK TO
DEMOCRATS, THEY ARE A LITTLE MORE CONCERNED WITH THAT RACE.
YOU SAW WARNOCK UP BY 6 OR 7 POINTS, THAT SEEMS TO BE
UNLIKELY, NO ONE IS BELIEVING A POLL LIKE THAT.
MOST PEOPLE THINK IT GOES TO A RUNOFF AND WE SEE WHAT HAPPENS
IN DECEMBER. >> I THINK IT'S LIKELY TO GO TO
A RUNOFF. BUT THERE'S A CHANCE WALKER
COULD WIN OUTRIGHT. ESPECIALLY IF BRIAN KEMP IS
WINNING BY 5 OR MORE POINTS COULD BRING WALKER ACROSS THE
GOAL LINE AS THEY SAY IN FOOTBALL.
>> IF THINGS ARE SO TIGHT AND DEMOCRATS ARE SO WORRIED AND SO
MANY VOTERS HAVE MADE UP THEIR MINDS WHY ARE WE ONLY SEEING
OBAMA OUT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL NOW.
>> THIS IS WHAT HE TYPICALLY DOES, THE FORMER PRESIDENT, WHO
DOES NOT DO A LOT OF CURRENT POLITICS, LIKES TO STAY OUT OF
IT FOR THE MOST PART. MOST OCTOBERS HE DOES COME OUT
AND DO A HANDFUL OF CAMPAIGN EVENTS FOR DOWN BALLOT
CANDIDATES. THAT'S BEEN THE TRADITION HE'S
HAD SINCE LEAVING THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2017.
HIS WIFE IS NOT GOING TO BE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL TO THE DISMAY
OF SOME DEMOCRATS WHO WOULD LOVE TO HAVE HER OUT THERE AS WELL.
>> MUCH MORE POPULAR. >> THE OBAMA, BIDEN FRIENDSHIP
IS A FRIENDSHIP BUT ALSO A RIVALRY AS WELL.
IT'LL BE NOTED IN THE BUILDING. >> HE DOES WELL IN TERMS OF
RALLYING AFRICAN AMERICAN VOTERS, YOUNG VOTERS AND
SUBURBAN VOTERS AS WELL. SO YOU'LL SEE HIM IN DIFFERENT
STATES. YOU'RE RIGHT THEY WISH MICHELLE
WOULD BE OUT THERE TOO. >> THE KEY WORD IS RALLY.
BIDEN IS NOT THE ORATOR THAT OBAMA IS, AND HE DOESN'T DO THE
LARGE RALLIES, DOESN'T DRAW THE CROWDS THAT OBAMA CAN DRAW AND
ALSO THE TERMS OF DELIVERY. BIDEN IS NOT A WHOLESALE
POLITICIAN IN THE WAY THAT OBAMA IS.
>> VERY DIFFERENT. VERY DIFFERENT.
JONATHAN, NIA, THANK YOU SO MUCH TO BOTH OF YOU.